EVENTS

 An orange ecstasy at THE BUTTERFLY BUILDING

Theinauguration in 2023 of this unique and emblematic building in downtown Vancouver will turn the "Mariposa" into a beacon of reference and a monument to the Monarch butterflies, which each fall make their miraculous migration from this Canadian city on the Pacific to the sanctuaries of the Mexican Neovolcanic axis, returning each spring.

A TEMPLE OPEN TO INFINITY

Just as butterflies migrate guided by sunlight, the luminous tubular towers of The Butterfly Building gracefully ascend from the neighboring First Baptist Church in Vancouver, reaching 57 stories; and so goes the psalm:

In the shadow of your wings I will take refuge.

For your great love soars to the heavens.

...Lift up your glory over all the earth!

The white, ethereal structure of four circular towers forming a butterfly, with its large glazing and curvilinear balconies, wants to embrace the clouds.

Even for simple flight of a butterfly,

the whole sky is necessary.

The sensation of dynamism and transformation is continuous: the light, changing according to the time of day and the seasons, reverberates with the forms and plays mystically with the spaces, blurring their boundaries; and its elevated gardens celebrate the constant change of nature and the passage of time, in a perpetual cycle.

THE TREE OF LIFE

An Edenic tree grows every three stories, the Chinese number symbolizing birth, crowning the cold organic forms of concrete and fiberglass, and breathing life into the tour.

The secret is not to run after the butterfly,

is to tend the garden so that they come to you.

On the one hand, the unique and inviting outdoor gardens on each residential level reconnect the individual with his or her own inner nature.

On the other hand, the fluidity of the interconnected spaces (which include a 50-meter swimming pool, gym, outdoor kitchen and playgrounds, among others), promote neighborliness and interaction within the building itself, emphasizing well-being and happiness.

In short, the whole project aims to elevate people, through emotion, perception and experiences, thus transmuting them into divine creatures.

BEYOND THEIR WORKS

Canadian architect Bing Thom (1940-2016) originally from Hong Kong, is considered a visionary for approaching architecture from a holistic perspective.

"I have always been seeking, both subliminally and consciously, to merge the values of East and West."

His main motivation was never the pursuit of fame or fortune, but the ambition to improve the societies in which he worked, faithful to the meaning of life and the land that shelters them.

He believed that Architecture transcends the building, to illuminate all its surroundings: he intended to build beyond buildings, but without losing the practical sense of them.

 "No matter what you dream of, don't forget the basics like nature, light, natural ventilation and natural materials."

Thus, The Butterfly Building belongs to the architecture of dreams, where the whole building seems to have been sculpted as a grandiose work of art. Thom's posthumous work is the temple open to infinity where his soul rests.

SALVE REGINA

The annual spring and fall migration of the Danaus Plexippus, or Monarch butterfly, some 4,000 km away, is an almost miraculous odyssey, as human activity and climate change are currently pushing it to the brink of extinction.

There is no redemption without sacrifice, no resurrection without death.

The balance of life on the planet is unstable, as the "butterfly effect" precisely states, and human beings have the responsibility to care for and fight for nature in order to achieve their own survival.

Great works are not carried out by force,

but by perseverance.

The Butterfly Building symbolizes a beacon of light that aims to awaken consciences, and that mystical place, on par with the natural sanctuaries of Michoacán, where brightly colored butterflies, such as the orange nymphalid, are associated with flowers, beauty and love.